Paul Merson makes big Arsenal vs Liverpool prediction U-turn amid ...

Paul Merson has made it clear to Arsenal and Mikel Arteta the importance of their Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. The Gunners head into the fixture against the league leaders with momentum after securing back-to-back wins however Liverpool have not dropped points since the reverse fixture at Anfield back in late December.

Five points currently separate the two teams with Arsenal hoping to close the gap to Liverpool and leapfrog Manchester City before they face Brentford on Monday night. Given the current title picture, Arteta is firmly aware how important a win is, with the Arsenal boss telling his players what they must improve on from the last two games against their upcoming opponents.

"What we need to do is play like we played in the last two games against them and be more efficient in the areas that will decide the game," he admitted on Friday when asked if the game was a must-win. "I'm very excited. It's always good to prepare a game against Liverpool, with how they are. We play at home and what I sense is real positivity and enthusiasm around the place."

A win for Liverpool would see them open up an eight-point gap on Arsenal, a lead so significant it may be unreachable for the Gunners. Liverpool are without Mohamed Salah for the clash but Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have both returned and are therefore expected to start.

In January, Liverpool managed a win at Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup without their star attacker but Arsenal will be hoping for a different outcome in league action. With that in mind, Merson has delivered his prediction for the clash with a major ultimatum laid down to Arteta and his Arsenal players.

"This is once again a must-win game for Arsenal," he admitted in his Sportskeeda Premier League predictions column. "If they lose, they are out of the Premier League title race and a draw is no good either, so they absolutely have to go for it.

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"Before Liverpool's demolition of Chelsea, I was quite bullish about this game and thought Arsenal would win. My opinion has changed now as the Reds were absolutely unbelievable last night. Chelsea weren't great, but Liverpool blew them out of the water and could've had more goals if Darwin Nunez hadn't struck the bar four times!

"A draw isn't ideal for Arsenal, but I don't think Liverpool will lose too much sleep if they share the spoils away from home. One player who deserves a mention is Conor Bradley, oh my god where has he come from? He's keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the team and I couldn't talk highly enough of him, he's been a pleasure to watch.

"With games coming thick and fast now, it remains to be seen if he keeps his place against Arsenal. Will Klopp decide to keep him in the team or will he take him out of the firing line for a bit? Only time will tell.

"Joe Gomez kept Noni Madueke in his pocket and Liverpool's forwards are scoring bags of goals, so you could say everything Jurgen Klopp has touched in recent weeks has turned to gold. In my opinion, he definitely starts ahead of Andy Robertson at the Emirates."

Prediction Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool